Device for sinking foundation-tubes.



H. SLETIEN & A. N. mom.

I DEViQE FOR smxme FOUNDATION TUBES.

APPUCATION FILED IUNE12. 1914. 1 154: 137. Patentedfiopt. 21, 1915, 7 I 2 suns-sum WVEN'TORg Henry ffen I A/ex M Liael/ BY THE/R ATTORNE Y6 H. SLETTEN & A. N. LIDELL. DEVICE FOR SINKING FOUNDATION TUBES.

1 ,1 54, 1 37 PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

2 S HEETSSHEET 2 APPLICATION FILED iUNE12. I914.

UNITED sT trns nrEnT OFFICE.

HEN RY SLETTEN AND ALEXANDER N. LIDELL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DEVICE FOR SINKING FOUNDATION-TUBES.

1.154 13% Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 21, 19111 Application filed June 12. 1914. Serial N 0. 844,670.

sota, have invented certain new and useful threaded engagement with the surrounding Improvements in Devices for Sinking Founportion 4 of a heavy foundation casting or dation-Tubes; and we do hereby declare the base 5. The said sleeve 3 is provided with a following tube a full, clear, and exact deprojecting flange 6 preferably having radial scription of the invention, such as will enperipheral perforations into which a bar able others skilled in the art to which it ap'- may be inserted to rotate the said sleeve. pertains to make and use the same. The lower and upper ends :of the sleeve 3 ()ur invention has for its object to proare arranged to bear, respectively, against vide a simple and highly eliicient apparatus heavy thrust collars]? and 8, that are movfor use in sinking foundation tubes, through ably secured on the upper section; of the quicksand, or in doing similar work; and to tube 1 by set screws 9, or other suitable de- 1h ends, generally stated, the invention vices. With this arrangement, asis evi-. c nsists of the novel devices and co1nbinadent, the sleeve 3 willv guide the sectional tions of devices hereinafter described and foundation tube 1, and when the said sleeve so defined in the claims. is screwed downward against the collar 7, the erection of heavy buildings, it will force the said tube downward, and ge piers, and th like, it is customary on the other hand, when the said sleeve 3 is to will; metallic foundation tubes into the screwed upward againsttheuppercollar 8,it ground until a rock bottom is struck. Such will raise the said tube 1 bod'ilymThe downtubes vary in size from a few feet to many ward movement is required in sinking the in diameter and are usually made in sectube, while the boring toohpresently to bedetions, which sectior are connected together scribed, is in action. The upward movement in the process of iarcing the said tubes into of the said tube is sometimes necessary, the ground. either to remove a tube section or to permit 3: )ur invention provides ellicient means for a more ready removal of a rock in the path boring,ztbrough the ground by continuous of movement of the saidtool.

'njwi'atlun. and for removing the loosened The boring tool, which is preferably emand i'wzrrying the same'upvard and out 'ploycd; is of novel 'construction and has cute tube, also, by a continuous operation, tin blades of plows arranged, when the a: which is simultaneous with that of boring. too is'rotated backward, to be moved radi- The apparatus may take various forms all inward within. the interior diameter and one form blllfl'SOl", is illustrated in the ie foundation tube, and'to be forced accompai 'ng drawings, wherein like charoutward, when the l'ioring tool is rotated in actors in are like parts throughout the an operative direction, so that the said 4o several news.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that we, HENRY SLnT'rnN and ALEXANDER N. LinnLL, citizens of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnelicl'errii'ig to the drawings: Figure l is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section illustrating the apparatus as used for boring and sinking the foun-. l--tion tubes: Fig. 2 is a vertical section :i an through the lower portion of one of the tube sections and showing the boring he applied thereto; Fig. 3 is a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4. is and Fig. 5 2 side elevation of the said l'ioringtool." ihe sections 1 of the foundation tube a e adapted to be coupled together in different ways, as, for example, by means of coupling sleeves 2. The sectional tube is passed downward through a larger feeding and guiding sleeve 3, which, as shown, has

movable blades or plows will project outward beyond the lower end of the/foundation tube, and thus caused to-bore a hole of somewhatgreater diameter than the said tube. As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, this boring tool comprises an upright shaft 10 l'lllllllflf radial arms 11, which, on their front edges are beveled. so that they assist in the cutting action. To the saidarms 11 are pivoted cutting blades or plows 12, which, when turned outward into operative positions. as shown by full lines in Fi s. 4 and 5, project beyond the said arms or sprocket 24, over I of the sprocket chains may The shaft is journaled in the upper a lower heads of a boring frame 14 that fi s within the lower portion of the lower tube section and carries on tor, the casing of which is indicated by the numeral 15 and an armature shaft of which is indicated by the numeral 16. The armature shaft 16 carries a spur gear 17 that meshes with a spur gear 18 mounted within the said casing 15 and provided on its hub or shaft with a worm 15), which, in turn, meshes with a worm gear 20 on the upper end 'of the boring tool shaft 10. The upper head of the supporting frame 14 is pro vided with projecting arms 1+, the ends of which are seated'in pockets afforded by anchoring lu s or castings 21 above stop rings 21 securel on the interior of the lower tube section.

As is evident, when the boring tool is rotated by'nieans of the electric motor, it will loosen up and slightly elevate the (lift from below the lower end of the foundation tube.

To pick up and elevate this loosened dirt so that the tube may be-lowered and caused to follow the boring tool, we provide an endless elevating belt, preferably in the form of one or'inore sprocket chains 22 equipped with elevator pockets 23. This sprocket chain 22 is arranged to run over a lower an upper sprocket25 and over idle guide sprockets 26. 'Ihcsaid lower sprocket 24. is an idle sprocket secured to a 'shaft 27 journaled in suitable bearings on y the frame 14. The sprockets 25 and. 26 are journaled in upwardly projecting portions 28 of a larger anchoring sleeve 2%), which latter is telescoped over the upper end of the upper tube section 1 and is adapted to be r'igidlybut detachably secured thereto, bv set screws 30, or other suitable devices The shaft 31 of the upper sprocket 25 is preferably extended and driven from a-stationary engine, electric motor or other power device located above the ground.

he chain 22 is made up of sections that correspond in length to the length of the tube sections 1, and which chain sections are detachably connected at points marked-22?. A well knownmeans for connecting sections be employed for Obviously, whenever a tube vasadded,corresponding; chain secits top an electric motube, so that the dirt side of the upper .end .of the? tube, course. a suitable conveyer or other means I borin tool and may be of the alsp be added, for the reason that the supportin sleeve 29 must alw..-; plied to the upperiend of the upperm, section, while the motor and boring toollower sprocket 24 are carried on ddwnw by the lower. tube section. Obviously, circuit wires 32 should lead to and from electric motor at the lower end'of the to but extend upward through the tube .0 nectedtb a suitable source of electricaljzcur rent supply. Obviously, the sleeve 29mm? be set in different vertical adjustments 9 the uppertube section 1, so as to take the slack of the endlesschain 22 and so as to permit insertion nth-i removal of chain tions, whendesired. Z Here illy may. .be noted that the upper sprocketcd isofiset,- r' at one side of the elevated from the bottom of the tube will be'discharged from one but of lap.

may be provided for carrying the dirt away from the tube, as it is delivered from the same.-

.F r lifting-the frame 14., the motor and other parts carried thei .32 I out o the tube, and for lifting the sleeve and parts carried thereon, when desired, we preferably provide a derrick attachment which may take various forms, but which Fig. 1, wherein the numeral 33 indicates Windlass drum, journaled in a suitable bearing onkthe uppcr endjof a supportingframe A sprocket wheel 36 is secured to the shaft 34:, and a sprocket chain 37 runs over this sprocket. and'over a smaller'sprocket, not shown, but which is carried by a short shaft 38 journaled in suitable bearings on the base 5,. and provided with a beveled gear 39. The beveled gear 39 meshes with a beveled gear 40 carried by the lower end of a telescopically extensible shaft 41, the upper endof which is provided with a beVeled gear 42 that meshes with abeveled' gear 43 carried on the, hub of the upper sprocket 25. -"l"he numeral 14 indicates a pulley secured on the shaft 38, 'over which a power driven belt,

not shown, is ad pted to run to impart mo tion to the said shaft 38, and through. the connections described, both to the Windlass drum 33 and to the upper sprocket 25, and

.through the latter, to the elevator chains or belt, 22.

When the boring tool and conveyer are in action, the casing 1, inmost instances}.

may be continuously lowered by rotation the sleeve3. Of course, from tiine to time, it will be necessaryto loosen the. said sleeve on the upper pipe section and sc'tew the same up to ahigher point so that its downwardforcing action may be repeated over and over again. In the drawings, the said sleeve is shown as if, working very close to-the.

arrangement illustrated in the shaft of whi h is".

ground surface, but it may be arranged to work a greater distance above the ground when desired. Anything but large rocks will be guided up by the pockets of the conveyer and carried out of the tube. Very large rocks will have to be removed in some other way. For example, a large crushing hammer attached to a cable and the cable arranged to work on the drum 33. The use of such a crushing hammer would require that the conveyer, motor, boring tool,.and frame 14 be first removed from the tube. Usually, however, such a boring apparatus would be used in boring through 15 sand in search of a strata rock, and in such use the boring apparatus would work rapidly and with very great efiiciency, and could be used tion tubesto a very great depth.

When the motor supporting frame 14: with the motor and boring tool are lowered into the tube, the projecting ends of the 7 upper bar l-l will strike upon the'ring 21 and limit the downward movement thereof. 25 By baclnvard rotation ofthe said frame, that is, by rotation thereof in a direction reverse to the direction in which the boring tool is operatively'rotated, the ends of the bar 14 will be driven tightly intothe pockets af- 39 for-(led by the lugs or castings 721' and the underlying portions of the ring 21. The

lower portion of the frame 1% is so cut away that it will clear or pass through the ring 21.

scribed is a boring apparatus adapted for general use, and in addition to the uses above noted, it may be stated, that it is also Well adapted for use in sinking well tubes.

The apparatus will work even where the tube is more or less filled with Water, and

this adapts the said apparatus for use in sinking tubes through quick sand where ordinary apparatus cannot be used at all.

What we claimis:

1. The combination with an extensible sectional foundation tube having means for detachably connecting the sections thereof, of a motor applied to the lower tube section, a

0 motor driven boring tool Working below said tube, an extensible conveyer working in said extensible tube, a support for the upper portion of said conveyer, applied to the upper tube section, and connections for driv-,

ing said conveyer.

The combination with an extensible sectional foundation tube having means. for detachably connecting the sections thereof, of a motor applied to the lower tube section, a motor driven boring tool working below said tube,.an extensible conveyer working in said extensible tube a support for the upper portion of said conveyer applied to the upper tube section, a relatively fixed base support, and connections between said base we might employ of foundationto sink founda- F rem a broad sense, the apparatus desupport and said sectional tube for forcing the same and the bodily downward.

The combination with an extensible sectional foundation tube having means for detachably connecting the sections thereof, of a motor applied to the lower. tube section, a motor driven boring tool working below said tube, an extensible conveyer working in said extensible tube, a support for the upper portion of said conveyer applied to the upper tube section, a relatively fixed base support, connections between said base support and said sectional tube for forcing the same and the parts carried thereby, bodily clownward, and means for driving said conveyer, comprising a driving wheel on said base support, a driven wheel on said conveyer support, and a telescopical extensible driving shaft connecting said driving and driven gears, and serving to transmitmotion to said con veyer in different adjustments of the said sectional tube.

I 4:. The combination with a foundation tube, of a motor in the lower end of said tube, an extensible motor driven boring tool working below the lower end of said tube, and cooperating interlocking devices on said motor support and the interior of the lower section of said tube arranged to be interlocked by rotation in a direction reverse from the operative direction of rotation of said boring tool and to be separated When said motor support is rotated in the other direction, whereby the said tool, motor and support may-be detached from and moved upward out of said tube. I

5. The combination with a sectional foundation tube having means for detachably connecting the sections thereof, of a parts carried thereby,

motor detachably connected to the lower section of said tube, a motor-driven boring tool working below said tube, an extensible conveyer working in said tube, a support in the upper end of said conveyer detachably applied to the upper tube section, and means for driving said conveyer.

6. The combination with a" sectional foundation tube and means for connecting -the sections thereof, of a motor applied to the lower foundation section, a boring tool below said tube operated by said motor, a sleeve detachably secured to the upper end of the upper tube section, conveyer guides on said sleeve, conveyer guides mounted on the lower end of the lower tube section, and an endless conveyer running through said tube and over said conveyer guides.

-7. The combination with a sectional foundation tube and means for connecting the sections thereof, of a motor applied to the lower foundation section, a boring tool below said tube operated by said motor, a sleeve detachably secured to the upper end of the upper tube section, conveyer guides on said sleeve, conveyer guides mounted on In testimony whereof we afiix our signathe lower end ofthe lower tube section, an tures in presence of two Witnesses. endless conveyer running through said tube HENRY SLETTEN.

and over said conveyer guides, the upper ALEXANDER N. LIDELL. portion of said conveyer being offset to one Witnesses: side of said tube whereby the elevated earth HARRY 1'). KILGORE,

will be discharged outward of said tube. F. D.}\L[ERCHANT. 

